North Bridge
'''North Bridge '''was a bridge in Leeds, built between 1798 and 1801, and destroyed in 2011. It was replaced by the current Memorial Bridge. History A ferry was formerly located on the site, transferring people from one side of Leeds to the other. In 1795, plans were announced to construct new bridges at this location plus one to the previously uninhabited Leeds Island (this bridge being the present day East Bridge). Construction of both bridges started in 1798, and both were completed and opened in 1801. The Leeds River ferry ceased operation later that year, and the boat, a Mississippi-style paddle steamer, has been preserved at the Leeds Transport Museum. In later years, the 17, X7, 18, and X8 bus routes, and then the Leeds Trams Lines 1 and 2, were added to the bridge, but remarkably despite added weight is showed no need for strengthening. The original North Bridge was similar to the current one, but was double-span (with a support column in the river in the middle, and supports on either riverbank), whereas the current one is single span (no support column in the river). Closure and collapse On 25 August 2011, a violent thunderstorm struck Leeds, and the Leeds River peaked at it's record high flow levels (but did not burst it's banks). The bridge was closed temporarily over safety fears, along with Leeds' two other bridges, shortly after the thunderstorm began. The other two bridges opened shortly after following safety checks, but it was ordered that North Bridge be kept closed. The thunderstorm ended an hour after it began, but it was clear that water levels in the river would be high for days to come, even if very dry weather followed, due to the overwhelming amount of water already in it. As a result, it was clear that water flow strength would be very high for a few days to come, and it was also clear that North Bridge was struggling to stay up. As a result, Leeds Waterways suspended theirLeeds River Boats Orange (Leeds River Port-Waterfall) and Red (Clearwater-Waterfall) routes, which pass under the bridge. The next day, scaffolding was erected around the bridge to try and keep it stable, but the scaffolding was washed away by the river. On 27 August, a large section of the bridge fell in to the river below, resulting in a large hole in the road surface. Over the next few days, the hole kept crumbling around the edges, getting bigger and bigger. A second hole opened up in the road surface a few metres away on 28 August. On 29 August, a large section of the base of one of the bridge support columns was swept away, and the bridge was seen wobbling badly. At 1507 BST on 29 August, the bridge finally collapsed into the still swollen river, killing a person inspecting it at the time. Aftermath The Army was called in shortly after the bridge collapsed to build a temporary inflatable pedestrian-only bridge, after Leeds Waterways said they would be unable to to start a temporary ferry service. The temporary bridge opened to pedestrian-only traffic on 30 August. The temporary bridge closed on 28 September 2011 as the new permanent bridge opened. It was dismantled and will be re-used at East Bridge during it's refurbishment. Demolition of the remains of the old bridge began on 30 August, as the river had dropped to normal levels by then. It was completed the next day. Construction of Memorial Bridge then started, and was completed before the end of September.